1. Field of the Invention
Herein described is a “Livestock Feed Retention Insert,” (“Insert”) which prevents hay waste by decreasing the area of hay accessibility of feeding livestock by placing the insert over and around a bale of livestock feed material, within a standard a conventional livestock feeder. The preferred embodiment of the Insert also provides a removable upward extension to a conventional round bale feeder to prevent hay waste from over the top of the conventional feeder. The Insert is able to be moved and installed by one person. Furthermore, the Insert can accommodate round bale feeders of different diameters.
2. Description of the Related Art (Problem/Solution by Others in Prior Art)
Conventional round bale feeders, such as the one pictured in Photo 1 are standard in the livestock industry for multiple reasons. Such feeders allow feeding livestock to access hay, while preventing the livestock from completely entering the feeder and trampling all of the available hay. Conventional feeders can be tipped up on their side and rolled by one person to where a standard round bale has been deposited. Photo 4. The conventional feeder can then be tipped over and placed to encircle the already deposited round bale for livestock feeding. Therefore, special equipment, such as a front end loader is not required to lift and deposit a standard round bale into a conventional feeder.
Conventional round bale feeders are prevalent in the industry due to their maneuverability. Conventional round bale feeders provide a relatively low cost, maintenance free method of providing hay to feeding livestock. Nonetheless, the use of conventional round bale feeders typically produces excessive wasted hay from livestock pulling hay from the interior of the feeder and trampling it outside the feeder. Furthermore, as depicted in Photo 1, a typical round bale extends over the top of most conventional round bale feeders, which allows feeding livestock to pull hay over the top of most conventional feeders. The large spacing between the vertical bars of most conventional feeders allows much hay to be pulled from the interior of the conventional feeder to be dropped to the ground by the feeding livestock. Over the course of a year, much hay is wasted, causing an increase in hay costs to maintain the livestock.
Various attempts have been made in the industry to reduce hay waste. However, there continues to be a need for the herein described “Livestock Feed Retention Insert.”
U.S. Pat. No. 7,856,943 (“943”) discloses a livestock feeder with a lower, intermediate, and upper portion. The 943 patent teaches a livestock feeder where the intermediate portion of the feeder retains the same potentially hay wasting characteristics as conventional feeders because the intermediate upwardly extending bars are horizontally spaced to allow a feeding animal to insert its head all the way into the feeder. Such a design will still allow large clumps of hay to be pulled from the interior of the feeder. The 943 patent also teaches an upper portion, generally the shape of an inverted, truncated cone to accept feed material and direct it downward to the interior of the feeder. As such, the invention of the 943 patent contemplates loading of the feed material into the upper portion of the feeder, which would require a front end loader in the case of loading a standard round bale into the feeder. It is disclosed that the vertical height of the upper portion is such that access to feeding over the top of the feeder is denied to animals; however, the upper portion of the feeder is permanently connected to the intermediate and bottom portions of the feeder. Thus, purchase of an entirely new feeder would be required to obtain a feeder that prevents feeding from a round bale over the top of already prevalent conventional feeders.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,789,505 (“505”) discloses a removable basket insert to be used with conventional hay feeders. The 505 insert is designed to specifically be inserted into a conventional feeder, and then have a conventional round bale loaded into the insert to prevent the round bale from sitting on the ground. Hay is to be placed within the insert for the animals to feed upon. Use of the 505 invention would require a front end loader to place a standard round bale into the “basket” for feeding.
Other “basket” feeders designed to prevent hay waste from conventional feeders also fail to address the problems solved by the present invention and its various embodiments. Various basket feeders similar to the hay insert disclosed in the 505 patent still require the feed material to be loaded into the “basket,” which in most cases would require special equipment to do so.
3. Objects of the Present Invention
Due to the problems discussed above, there is a need for an improved livestock feed retention insert in the industry. The objectives of the present invention are to: (1) provide a removable insert to be used with already prevalent conventional livestock feeders, including feeders of different shapes and diameters; (2) that decreases the upper and lower feed access area to decrease the amount of feed being pulled from the feeder; (3) provides an upper extension to a conventional feeder to prevent feed from being pulled over the top of the feeder, yet still allow feeding from the upper portion of the feeder; (4) which is placed over a pre-positioned bale of feed material, rather than requiring the feed material to be loaded into the insert; and (5) is easy to move and install by one person.